System and method for controlling a wireless device

ABSTRACT

A method and a device are provided for controlling operation of a wireless device ( 200 ). The method ( 500 ) includes transmitting an initial signal ( 410 ) to a controller device ( 120 ) in an initial mode ( 505 ); receiving initial instructions ( 420 ) from the controller device in the initial mode, after transmitting the initial signal ( 510 ), the initial instructions identifying an operational mode; setting transmit and receive circuitry in the wireless device to transmit and receive according to the operational mode ( 515, 520, 525 ); and transmitting operational signals ( 430 ) in the operational mode ( 530 ). The wireless device  200  includes an antenna controller ( 290 ) and an antenna switch ( 225 ) for implementing this method.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to a system and method forcontrolling the operation of a wireless device. In particular it relatesto a system and method for dynamically changing the mode of a remotewireless device to account for changing device, network, orenvironmental parameters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In any transmission of data between wireless devices, the parameters ofthe transmission must be set in a way known to both the transmitter andthe receiver. A particular arrangement of such parameters can be calleda mode of transmission or operational mode, which allows devices to beset up to operate in a particular mode of operations. In variousoperational modes, the parameters can include the particular formattingof data to be sent, the speed of transmission, the type of signal flowused, etc.

Signal formatting refers to the many varieties of signal standards thatcan be used. In a cell phone network, this could include the thirdgeneration (3G) long term evolution (LTE) standard, the global systemfor mobile phones (GSM) standard, or any other suitable cell phoneprotocol. In other wireless environments, other signal standards couldbe used to set the signal formatting.

The speed of transmission may be varied in some embodiments. In thiscase transmissions at different speeds would be classified as separatemodes. This is because even if the same data formatting style were used,the difference in transmission speed would require different handling.

The type of signal flow would indicate whether the data transmissionsare simplex, half-duplex, full duplex (sometimes simply referred to as‘duplex’), or some variation of these. In simplex transmissions, datatransmission is unidirectional. In other words, when two devices are incommunication only one of the two devices sends data and only one of thetwo devices receives data. The transmitting device must have some kindof transmitter circuit, and the receiver device must have some kind ofreceiver circuit. In full duplex transmissions, data transmission isbidirectional. In other words, when two devices are in communicationthey each send and receive data at the same time. The two communicatingdevices must each have some kind of transceiver circuit configured tosimultaneously transmit and receive signals. In half-duplextransmissions, data is sent in both directions, but not at the sametime. In other words, the system allows for serial simplex transmission,with the two devices switching off as to who will be the transmitter andwho will be the receiver. Like full duplex, half-duplex requires eachdevice to include a transceiver circuit. However, since the devices donot transmit and receive at the same time, these transceiver circuitsneed not be configured for simultaneous transmission and reception.

As different device operational modes have become more prevalent in themarketplace, manufacturers inevitably desire to create devices thatfunction in more than one mode. At present, mode changes are made eithermanually by a device operator, or are initiated by the device itself,requiring a hard shutdown of the previous communication and the mode isnot changed until such a process happens again. This mode change isusually in response to coverage issues, such as a lack of coverage ingiven multiple access scheme or the presence of coverage in a newmultiple access scheme that offers better services. This limitedresponsiveness can be disadvantageous, however, in certain circumstanceswhere environmental, network, or device parameters change, it could bedisadvantageous to maintain the same operational mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements and which together with thedetailed description below are incorporated in and form part of thespecification, serve to further illustrate an exemplary embodiment andto explain various principles and advantages in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of the coverage of a wireless network according to adisclosed embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an mobile device according to a disclosedembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a base station according to a disclosedembodiment;

FIG. 4 is a message sequence chart showing the interaction between themobile device of FIG. 2 and the base station of FIG. 3 according to adisclosed embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the operation of the mobile device of FIGS. 2and 4 according to a disclosed embodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the operation of the base station of FIGS. 3and 4 according to a disclosed embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The instant disclosure is provided to further explain in an enablingfashion the best modes of performing one or more embodiments of thepresent invention. The disclosure is further offered to enhance anunderstanding and appreciation for the inventive principles andadvantages thereof, rather than to limit in any manner the invention.The invention is defined solely by the appended claims including anyamendments made during the pendency of this application and allequivalents of those claims as issued.

It is further understood that the use of relational terms such as firstand second, and the like, if any, are used solely to distinguish onefrom another entity, item, or action without necessarily requiring orimplying any actual such relationship or order between such entities,items or actions. It is noted that some embodiments may include aplurality of processes or steps, which can be performed in any order,unless expressly and necessarily limited to a particular order; i.e.,processes or steps that are not so limited may be performed in anyorder.

Much of the inventive functionality and many of the inventive principleswhen implemented, are best implemented in integrated circuits (ICs), andin particular through the use of circuits involving CMOS transistors. Itis expected that one of ordinary skill, notwithstanding possiblysignificant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example,available time, current technology, and economic considerations, whenguided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein will be readilycapable of generating such ICs with minimal experimentation. Therefore,in the interest of brevity and minimization of any risk of obscuring theprinciples and concepts according to the present invention, furtherdiscussion of such ICs, if any, will be limited to the essentials withrespect to the principles and concepts used by the exemplaryembodiments.

LTE Network

One exemplary embodiment of the present claimed invention is withrespect to a long term evolution (LTE) cell phone network. In such anetwork it can be advantageous to dynamically shift the mode of a mobiledevice (i.e., a cell phone) from a full duplex mode to a half-duplexmode and back again. One reason this would be desirable is to allow thebase station to control the reliability of transmissions between thebase station and the mobile device based on various network criteria,e.g., quality of service (QoS) criteria. Another reason is to allowmobile units to request to enter different modes based on their localneed.

For purposes of disclosure an exemplary embodiment will be shown thatrelates to changing between a full duplex mode and a half-duplex mode inan LTE cell phone. However, the present claimed invention should not belimited to such an embodiment. It is generally applicable to the dynamicselection of operational modes relating to any criteria, e.g., the dataformatting scheme used by a network, the speed of transmission, the typeof signal flow used, or any other parameter that may be changed betweenoperational modes. Alternate embodiments could also involve choosingbetween more than two modes if a plurality of modes are offered asviable alternatives. In such an embodiment, a device could dynamicallyswitch between all possible modes.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of the coverage of a wireless network according to adisclosed embodiment. This embodiment shows a cell phone network by wayof example. As shown in FIG. 1, the coverage area for the wirelessnetwork 100 is divided into a plurality of adjacent hexagonal areas 110.Each hexagonal area 110 has a base station 120 at its center, and isevenly divided into three adjacent pentagonal areas 130 surrounding thebase station 120. Each pentagonal area 130 is defined by a first edge140A, a second edge 140B, a third edge 140C, a fourth edge 140D, and afifth edge 140E.

The hexagonal areas 110 each represent a roughly circular effectiverange of a base station 120. They are formed to be hexagonal in shape sothat they may more tightly overlap. The size of the hexagonal areas 110is chosen such that the mobile devices used within the wireless network100 have sufficient power to reach a corresponding base station 120 atthe center of the hexagonal area 110. In other words, the size is chosensuch that the effective broadcast length of a relevant mobile device isno less than the length from a base station 120 to an outside corner ofa corresponding hexagonal area 110.

The base stations 120 are formed in the center of their respectivehexagonal area 110, and broadcast with sufficient power to reach anymobile device operating within the hexagonal area 110. Each base station120 generally coordinates the operation of many mobile devices withinthe hexagonal area 110 surrounding it. As a result, a base station 120should include a transceiver that is configured to send and receivemultiple signals at the same time.

The adjacent pentagonal areas 130 represent smaller areas of coveragethan the entire hexagonal area 110. Some wireless networks (e.g., theexemplary cell phone network) subdivide the hexagonal areas 110 in thisway. In such networks, the same base station 120 services each of thethree pentagonal areas 130 surrounding it.

Despite being controlled by the same base station 120, each of theadjacent pentagonal areas 130 is treated differently for purposes ofsignal separation. For example, each pentagonal area 130 may beseparated from the areas adjacent to it through the use of differentcodes, different frequencies, or some other separation mechanism. Thismeans that while a cell phone in one pentagonal area 130 might hear thesignals from an adjacent pentagonal area 130, the codes will not matchup, so it will know not to listen to them.

However, although each mobile device will be able to ignore the contentof signals in adjacent pentagonal areas 130 because of the use ofdifferent codes, the signals themselves will remain, providing signalinterference. In other words, while the network instructions sent from abase station 120 for an adjacent pentagonal area 130 cannot be read by amobile unit assigned to a different pentagonal area 130, if the mobiledevice is close enough to the adjacent pentagonal area 130, the signalmeant for the adjacent pentagonal area 130 might interfere with thesignal for the current pentagonal area 130. This is particularly true ifthe two pentagonal areas 130 use the same or similar frequency spectrumfor data transmission. As a result, the signal for an adjacentpentagonal area 130 may act as noise for the current pentagonal area130.

The first through fifth edges 140A-140E, therefore, define areas ofgreatest potential signal interference from signal originating in anadjacent pentagonal area 130. The closer a mobile unit is to one of theedges 140A-140E, the more likely that mobile device is to hear anadjacent signal as noise. For this reason mobile device users who arenear the edges 140A-140E are called cell edge users, and are consideredat a higher risk for noise interference than non-edge users. All userssuffer the same chance for random noise interference. But cell edgeusers run the very significant further risk that there will beadditional interfering signals of high strength on exactly the wirelessfrequency used by the device.

This is where dynamic switching between operational modes can improveperformance. Different operational modes provide different advantagesand disadvantages. Some modes are fast and simple, but not terriblyrobust in the face of strong interference. Others are slower or morecomplicated, but can handle greater interference with a smaller chanceof dropping a connection.

Thus, one way to address the issue of edge interference (or anyinterference, really) is to have cell phone users default to operatingin a standard mode optimized for non-edge operation, and switch theusers to a more robust operational mode when they get close to an edge140A-140E and become cell edge users. Then the system can switch themback to the standard mode when they leave the edge area.

For example, in an LTE cell phone system, the default operational modemight be a full duplex LTE mode, while the edge mode might be ahalf-duplex LTE mode. This would require each mobile device to switchfrom a full duplex mode to a half-duplex mode when it neared an edge (orother interfering element), and then switch back from the half-duplexmode to the full duplex mode when the device left the vicinity of theedge (or other interfering element). This could involve a userapproaching an edge and then turning away to return to the same initialpentagonal area 130, or could involve the user crossing an edge boundaryinto a new pentagonal area 130. In either case, the proximity of theedge (or other interfering element) represents a potential forinterference, and may involve a need for mode change.

Although FIG. 1 shows the hexagonal areas 110 and the pentagonal areas130 to be identical in size and uniform in placement, and the basestations 120 each in the exact center of their respective hexagonalarea, it should be understood that in an actual implementation theplacement of the base stations and the shapes of the various hexagonalareas 110 and pentagonal areas 130 could be extremely irregular becausethey are determined by the radio propagation environment in the area,e.g., the number of buildings between each base site and the mobiledevice.

In addition, although the above description refers primarily tointerference resulting from users entering into proximity of a celledge, the described devices and processes are applicable to any sourceof interference, or any other reason for which it may be desirable todynamically alter the mode of a mobile device.

Mobile Device

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a mobile device according to a disclosedembodiment. This mobile device is configured to operate in either a GSMor an LTE network. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile device 200 includes anantenna 205, a receiver module 210, a transmitter module 215, a duplexer220, an antenna switch 225, a transmitter switch 230, a receiver switch235, first, second, and third band pass filters 240, 245, and 250,first, second, and third receiver amplifiers 255, 260, 265, first andsecond transmitter amplifiers 270 and 280, and a switch controller 290.More generally, the mobile device 200 could be referred to as a remotedevice.

The antenna 205 can be any appropriate antenna for transmitting andreceiving wireless signals. In one disclosed embodiment it is a cellphone antenna. However, in different types of mobile devices it shouldbe implemented appropriately.

The receiver module 210 is a set of circuitry configured to receive andprocess an incoming signal from the antenna 205, while the transmittermodule 215 is a set of circuitry configured to generate an appropriateoutgoing signal to the antenna 205.

The duplexer 220 is a circuit configured to allow the antenna 205 tosuccessfully transmit and receive signals simultaneously.

The antenna switch 225 is a switch for connecting a variety of circuitelements to the antenna 205 in response to a switch control signal. Inoperation, the antenna switch 225 only provides a single connection at atime, based on a current operational mode.

The transmitter switch 230 is a switch for connecting signals from thetransmitter module 215 to either the duplexer 220 or the antenna switch225, while the receiver switch 235 is a switch for connecting signalsfrom either the duplexer 220 or the antenna switch 225 to the receivermodule 210.

The first low pass filter 240 and the first receiver amplifier 255 areconnected in series between the antenna switch 225 and the receivermodule 210, and are configured to provide appropriate front endprocessing for a first GSM receiver path. Similarly, the second low passfilter 245 and the second receiver amplifier 260 are connected in seriesbetween the antenna switch 225 and the receiver module 210, and areconfigured to provide appropriate front end processing for a second GSMreceiver path.

The third low pass filter 250 and the third receiver amplifier 265 areconnected in series between the receiver switch 235 and the receivermodule 210, and are configured to provide appropriate front endprocessing for an LTE receiver path.

The first transmitter amplifier 270 is connected between the transmittermodule and the antenna switch 225 and is configured to provideamplification for a GSM transmission path. The second transmitteramplifier 280 is connected between the transmitter module and theantenna switch 225 and is configured to provide amplification for an LTEtransmission path.

Particular parameters for the band pass filters 240, 245, and 250, thereceiver amplifiers 255, 260, and 265, and the transmitter amplifiers270 and 280 can be chosen as would be understood by one skilled in theart. In alternate embodiments any or all of these filters and amplifierscould be eliminated, or additional front end/back end circuitry could beincluded in the various receiver and transmitter paths.

The switch controller 290 provides a switch control signal to theantenna switch 225, a transmit mode control signal to the transmitterswitch 230, and a receiver mode control signal to the receiver switch235, all in response to a mode control signal received from the receivermodule.

The mobile device of FIG. 2 facilitates four possible connections: a GSMmode receive connection, a GSM mode transmit connection, an LTE fullduplex mode connection, an LTE half-duplex mode transmit connection, andan LTE half-duplex mode receive connection. In the GSM mode, the antennaswitch 225 connects the antenna 205 to one of the first and second bandpass filters 240 and 245 when signals are to be received, and connectsthe antenna 205 to the first transmit amplifier 270 when signals are tobe transmitted. In the LTE full duplex mode, the antenna switch 225connects the antenna 205 to the duplexer 220, the transmitter switch 230connects the second transmitter amplifier 280 to the duplexer 220, andthe receiver switch 235 connects the third band pass filter 250 to theduplexer. And in the LTE half-duplex mode, the antenna switch 225 andthe transmitter switch 230 connect the antenna 205 to the secondtransmitter amplifier 280 when data is to be transmitted, while theantenna switch 225 and the receiver switch 235 connect the antenna 205to the third band pass filter 250 when data is to be received.

As shown in FIG. 2, a multiple-mode transceiver is provided. Thetransceiver includes: an antenna switch configured to selectivelyconnect a first antenna switch node to one of a second antenna switchnode, a third antenna switch node, or a fourth antenna switch node; areceiver switch configured to selectively connect a first receiverswitch node to one of a second receiver switch node or a third receiverswitch node, the second receiver switch node being connected to thethird antenna switch node; a transmitter switch configured toselectively connect a first transmitter switch node to one of a secondtransmitter switch node or a third transmitter switch node, the secondtransmitter switch node being connected to the fourth antenna switchnode; a receiver module configured to receive and process incomingsignals and to generate a mode control signal based on the incomingsignals, the receiver module being connected to the first receiverswitch node; a transmitter module configured to generate outgoingsignals, the transmitter module being connected to first transmitterswitch node; a duplexer configured to simultaneously pass the incomingsignals and the outgoing signals, the duplexer having an antennatransmit/receive node connected to the second antenna switch node, adevice receiver node connected to the third receiver switch node, and adevice transmitter node connected to the third transmitter switch node;and a controller configured to generate, in response to the mode controlsignal, an antenna switch control signal to control operation of theantenna switch, a receiver switch control signal to control operation ofthe receiver switch, and a transmitter switch control signal to controloperation of the transmitter switch.

The transceiver may further include a receiver amplifier and a band passfilter connected in series with the receiver amplifier. The receivermodule may be connected to the first receiver switch node through theband pass filter and the receiver amplifier. Similarly, the transceivermay further include a transmitter amplifier. The transmitter module maybe connected to the first transmitter switch node through a transmitteramplifier. The device may be implemented in an integrated circuitdevice.

By way of example, this shows four possible modes. However, all that isnecessary is the presence of two possible modes. In fact, in someembodiments it is possible to have multiple modes, only a subset ofwhich can be switched dynamically. For ease of explanation, thefollowing description will only refer to switching between two modes.This is for descriptive purposes only, and should not be consideredlimiting.

Base Station

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a base station according to a disclosedembodiment. This can be the sort of base station shown in FIG. 1. Asshown in FIG. 3, the base station 120 includes an antenna 305, aduplexer 320, a receive module 310, a transmit module 315, a measuringcircuit 340, and a control circuit 350. More generally, the base station120 could be referred to as a controller device.

The antenna 305 can be any appropriate antenna for transmitting andreceiving wireless signals. In one disclosed embodiment it is a cellphone base station antenna. However, in different types of base station120 should be implemented appropriately.

The duplexer 320 is a circuit configured to allow the antenna 205 tosuccessfully transmit and receive signals simultaneously to and from thetransmit module 320 and the receive module 310.

The receive module 310 is a set of circuitry configured to receive andprocess an incoming signal, while the transmit module 315 is a set ofcircuitry configured to generate an appropriate outgoing signal.

The measuring circuit 340 is a circuit designed to measure a particularsignal metric of an incoming signal. This can be a measure ofsignal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal-to-interference ratio (SIR),signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), signal power, a qualityof service (QoS) requirement, or some other measure of signal quality.In alternate embodiments the determination of properties other thansignal quality could be made, if such properties were relevant to achange in modes. For example, in some embodiments the base station 120could consider data relating to the remaining battery power of a givenmobile device 200 to determine whether the mobile device 200 should betransitioned to a lower power operational mode. In other embodiments,the base station 120 could consider the level of traffic on the network,e.g., switching all users in the network to a half-duplex mode duringoff-peak hours.

The control circuit 350 is a circuit configured to generate a set ofmode control instructions in response to either or both of signalsreceived directly from the receive module 310 or signal metricinformation received from the measuring circuit 340. These mode controlinstructions are forwarded to the transmit module for transmission to amobile device 200.

Mode Selection Process

FIG. 4 is a message sequence chart showing the interaction between themobile device of FIG. 2 and the base station of FIG. 3 according to adisclosed embodiment. In particular, FIG. 4 shows how messages passbetween a mobile device 200 and a base station 120 so that the basestation 120 can set the mode of the mobile device 200.

For the purposes of this example, the described network will be an LTEnetwork with mobile devices capable of operating in a full duplex modeor a half-duplex mode. Alternate embodiments could use different typesof networks with different types and numbers of modes.

As shown in FIG. 4, the passing of messages begins when the mobiledevice 200 sends an initial request 410 to the base station. Thisrequest will be sent in a default mode (i.e., Mode A) known to both themobile device 200 and the base station 120.

In one embodiment the initial request 410 could be a first attempt bythe mobile device 200 to connect to the base station 120. In this case,Mode A would be a default operational mode determined beforehand in thenetwork for such initial association requests. In alternate embodiments,however, the initial request 410 could represent a communication betweenthe mobile device 200 and the base station 120 in an establishedcommunication stream. In this case, Mode A is whatever mode the basestation 120 had previously instructed the mobile device 200 to use. Insome embodiments the mode of initial acquisition will be a half-duplexmode because that will provide better random access channel coverage.

The base station 120 may respond to the initial request 410 with a firstmode control instruction 420 instructing the mobile device 200 to switchto a new operational mode without any signal quality determination. Thiscould be done according to a set mode control scheme. For example, ifthe initial request were the first message for a new mobile device 200talking to the base station 120, the initial request could be sent in ahalf-duplex mode, and the base station 120 might, as a matter of course,instruct all new mobile devices 200 to switch to full duplex once theywere properly connected to the network.

In some embodiments the first mode control instruction 420 might only besent if there is a change in operational modes (e.g., from Mode A toMode B). In other embodiments the first mode control instruction 420might be sent always to indicate the current operational mode,regardless of whether it involved a change of operational mode or not.

In the embodiment disclosed in FIG. 4, the first mode controlinstruction 420 instructs the mobile device 200 to change operationalmodes to Mode B. However, since the mobile device 200 is still operatingin Mode A, the first mode control instruction 420 is still sent in ModeB.

Once the first mode control signal 420 has been received by the mobiledevice 200, the mobile device 200 and base station 120 engage in datatransmission, passing various data and control signals 430 using thenewly instructed mode (i.e., mode B in this embodiment).

The duration of the data transmission 430 can be fixed or vary,depending upon the embodiment. Regardless, at some point, the basestation 120 will make a signal quality determination 440 of a signalreceived from the mobile device 200. This can be a measure ofsignal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal-to-interference ratio (SIR),signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), signal power, a qualityof service (QoS) requirement, or some other measure of signal quality.In alternate embodiments a determination of properties other than signalquality could be made, if such properties were relevant to a change inmodes. For example, in some embodiments the base station 120 couldconsider data relating to the remaining battery power of a given mobiledevice 200 to determine whether the mobile device 200 should betransitioned to a lower power operational mode. In other embodiments itmight consider the current level of network congestion to determinewhether the mobile device 200 should be transitioned to a differentoperational mode.

Once the signal quality determination 440 (or other parameterdetermination) is completed, the base station 120 will determine whatthe proper new mode should be (i.e., whether to retain the currentoperational mode or whether to switch to a different operational mode),and sends a second mode control instruction 450 indicating what the newoperational mode ought to be. Again, since the mobile device 200 isstill operating in the current operational mode (i.e., Mode A at thispoint in operation), the second mode control instruction 450 must be inthe current operational mode, regardless of what mode it instructs themobile device 200 to use.

As with the first mode control instruction 420, in some embodiments thesecond mode control instruction 450 might only be sent if there is achange in operational modes (e.g., from Mode B to Mode A). In otherembodiments the second mode control instruction 450 might be sent alwaysto indicate the current operational mode, regardless of whether itinvolved a change of operational mode or not.

As noted above, in one embodiment Mode A is a half-duplex mode and ModeB is a full duplex mode. The half-duplex mode of operation (Mode A) isused by the mobile device 200 to secure initial contact with the basestation 120, after which the mobile device moves to a full duplex modeof operation (Mode B) for later transmissions.

Once the second mode control signal 450 has been received by the mobiledevice 200, the mobile device 200 and base station 120 engage in datatransmission, passing various data and control signals 430 using thenewly instructed mode (i.e., mode A in this embodiment).

This process of signal quality determination and passing of mode controlinstructions can be repeated as many times as desired during deviceoperation.

In some alternate embodiments either the initial request or some portionof the data/control signals 430 might include a specific request fromthe mobile device to change operational modes. In this case, the firstor second mode control instructions 420 and 450 may be in whole or inpart a response to this explicit request from the mobile device 200.However, it is also possible for the mobile device 200 to request aparticular operational mode only to have the base station 120 decide notto permit that mode for reasons known to the base station 120. In thiscase the base station 120 would either not provide any mode controlinstructions, or instruct that a different operational mode be used.

Operation of the Mobile Device

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of the operation of the mobile device of FIG. 2according to a disclosed embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, the mode controlling process 500 begins when themobile device 200 sends an initial request for communication to the basestation 120. (505) This initial request could come, for example, whenthe mobile device 200 is first turned on in an area controlled by agiven base station 120 (e.g., a pentagonal cell area 130). It willgenerally be sent in an initial mode that is preset and known by thebase station 120 and all potential mobile devices 200.

Some time after it has sent the initial request for communication (505),the mobile device 200 will receive a mode control instruction from thebase station 120. (510) This corresponds to the first mode controlinstruction 420 from FIG. 4, and provides the mobile device 200 withinstructions regarding in what mode it should proceed to operate.

The mobile device 200 will then read the mode control instruction anddetermine what the newly assigned operational mode is. (515) If it is afirst mode, the mobile device 200 will set the device to operate in thefirst mode. (520) If it is a second mode, the mobile device 200 will setthe device to operate in the second mode. (520) In the embodimentdisclosed in FIG. 2, setting the device to operate in an appropriatemode (520 or 525) involves having the switch controller 290 provide anappropriate switch control signal, transmitter mode control signal, andreceiver mode control signal to control the operation of the antennaswitch 225, the transmitter switch 230, and the receiver switch 235 toprovide appropriate connections for the assigned operational mode. Ifthe assigned mode is for some reason the current mode, then noadditional action is necessary.

In an embodiment with additional operational modes, a more complexdetermination of assigned mode (515) will be performed, and additionalprocesses for configuring the device according to the assignedoperational mode will be provided.

Once the operational mode is set (520, 525), the mobile device 200proceeds to transmit and receive data in its currently-assignedoperational mode. (530) This data can include a request sent from themobile device 200 to the base station 120 requesting that the mobiledevice 200 be assigned a different mode.

As the mobile device 200 is transmitting and receiving in itscurrently-assigned operational mode (530), it will continually determinewhether a new mode control instruction has been received (535) andwhether the device is done with transmissions. (540) These twooperations can be performed in any order, and may even be performed inparallel.

If new mode control instructions have been received (535), the mobiledevice 200 will again receive and process these instructions (510),determine the new mode (515), and continue operation from that point.

If the transmission is not done (540) the mobile device continues totransmit and receive data in the current mode. (530) If the transmissionis done (540), processing ends for the mobile device 200.

In one embodiment, the initial request for communication (505) is sentin a half-duplex mode, and the mode control instruction (510) instructsthe mobile device 200 to switch to a full duplex mode.

In some embodiments, either the initial request for communication (505)or the data transmitted in the current mode (530) may include a requestfrom the mobile device 200 that it operate in a particular mode. Forexample, the mobile device 200 may wish to conserve battery power andenter into an operational mode that consumes less power, regardless ofwhether current signal quality might allow a higher power mode. In suchembodiments the base station 120 will consider these requests whendetermining the new mode and may or may not allow the mode switch.

As shown in FIG. 5, a method is provided for controlling operation of awireless device. This method includes transmitting an initial signal toa controller device in a first operational mode; receiving initialinstructions from the controller device in the first operational mode,after transmitting the initial signal, the initial instructionsidentifying a second operational mode; setting transmit and receivecircuitry in the wireless device to transmit and receive according tothe second operational mode; and transmitting operational signals in thesecond operational mode.

The initial signal may include a request for assignment of a specificmode. The second operational mode may be one of a full duplex mode or ahalf-duplex mode.

The method may further include determining whether the secondoperational mode is different from the first operational mode. In thiscase, the operation of setting transmit and receive circuitry in thewireless device to transmit and receive according to the secondoperational mode may only be performed if the second operational mode isdetermined to be different than the first operational mode.

The method may further include receiving new instructions from thecontroller device in the second operational mode, after transmitting theoperational signals, the new instructions identifying a thirdoperational mode; setting the transmit and receive circuitry in thewireless device to transmit and receive according to the thirdoperational mode; and transmitting new signals in the third operationalmode.

The receiving new instructions, setting the transmit and receivecircuitry, and transmitting new signals may be periodically repeated,the third operational mode from a previous iteration being consideredthe second operational mode for new iteration. The method may beimplemented in an integrated circuit device.

Operation of the Base Station

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the operation of the base station of FIGS. 3and 4 according to a disclosed embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the base station 120 first receives an initialcommunication from a mobile device 200 as an incoming signal. (605) Thisinitial communication can be an initial request to join a network orsome other sort of communication signal.

The base station 120 then determines a signal metric of the incomingsignal. (610) In the circuit of FIG. 3, this can be performed in themeasuring circuit 340. Exemplary signal metrics include SNR, SIR, SINR,signal power, a QoS requirement, or any desired signal metric. Inalternate embodiments the determination of different operational metricsother than a signal metric could be made, if such operational metricswere relevant to a change in modes. For example, in some embodiments thebase station 120 could consider device metrics relating to the remainingbattery power of a given mobile device 200 to determine whether themobile device 200 should be transitioned to a lower power operationalmode. In other embodiments the base station 120 could consider networkmetrics such as the congestion level in the network. For example, inoff-peak hours, the network may request that the mobile device 200operate in half-duplex mode, while during peak hours, the mobile device200 might operate in full-duplex mode.

After determining the signal metric (610), the base station 120 thendetermines where the signal metric falls. (615) If it falls within afirst range of values then the base station 120 determines that themobile device 200 should operate in a first operational mode (620); andif it falls within a second range of values then the base station 120determines that the mobile device 200 should operate in a secondoperational mode (625). If different metrics were used for the modedetermination, this operation would analyze those properties.

The base station 120 then determines whether the incoming signalincludes a request for a different mode of operation. (630) If theincoming signal does include such a request, the base station 120 thendetermines whether this request is acceptable. (635) This determinationof acceptability could be made based on the signal metric determination(i.e., is the signal too weak for the requested mode), networkparameters (i.e., is the network too busy for the requested mode), orany other desirable criteria.

If there is both a request for a specific mode (630) and the mode isdetermined to be acceptable (635), the base station changes itsdetermination of mode to the mode requested by the mobile device 200.(640) In some cases this may not involve a change, since the mobiledevice 200 might have requested the same mode that the base station 120determined based on the signal metric analysis.

Regardless of how the new operational mode is determined, the basestation 120 then sends a set of instructions to the mobile device 200 tooperate in the determined mode. (645)

The base station 120 and the mobile device 200 can then engage intransmitting and receiving data in the determined mode for a time. (650)periodically the base station 120 can check whether the mode needs to beupdated. (655) This determination could be based on time (i.e., anupdate is done according to a certain period), based on a request fromthe mobile device 200, or any other desired criteria.

If the mode should be updated (655), the base station once moredetermines a signal metric of the most recent incoming signal (610) andrepeats the steps following that determination.

If the mode need not be updated (655), the base station 120 determineswhether the transmission is completed. (660) If so, the process ends.(665) If not, the base station 120 continues to transmit and receivewith the mobile device 200 (635) until it is once again time todetermine whether the mode should be updated. (640)

Although the determination of whether a transmission is completed (660)is shown as being performed after the determination of whether a modeshould be updated (655), these need not be performed in that order. Infact, in some embodiments they can be performed in parallel.

Likewise, although shown as taking place right after the signal metricdetermination (615-625), the steps of processing a remote request can beperformed at varying times throughout signal processing, as desired. Inalternate embodiments in which no mode requests are ever made from amobile device 200, the steps of processing the remote request may beremoved.

Although the systems and methods shown above have the various modes ofoperation changing based on certain fixed thresholds or ranges of thesignal metric, in some embodiments the mode switching can have some kindof hysteresis. In other words, the thresholds to change modes can beslightly different depending upon which direction the mode change isbeing made (i.e. from Mode A to Mode B or Mode B to Mode A), to preventmultiple rapid mode changes when the signal metric is near a thresholdor boundary.

As shown in FIG. 6, a method for controlling operation of a wirelessdevice is provided. The method includes receiving an initial incomingsignal from a remote device in a first operational mode; determining afirst operational metric; determining that a second operational modewill be a first possible mode if the first operational metric is withina first range; determining that the second operational mode will be asecond possible mode if the first operational metric is within a secondrange; and transmitting instructions to the remote device in the firstoperational mode to transmit and receive in the second operational mode.

The first operational metric may be a signal metric of the initialincoming signal, more specifically one of a signal-to-noise ratio of theinitial signal, signal-to-interference ratio of the initial signal,signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the initial signal, andsignal power of the initial signal. The first operational metric mayalso be a network metric indicating a network congestion level.

The method may further include receiving an operational incoming signalfrom a remote device in the second operational mode after transmittingthe instructions to the remote device; determining a second operationalsignal metric of the initial incoming signal; determining that a thirdoperational mode will be the first possible mode if the secondoperational signal metric is within the first range; determining thatthe third operational mode will be the second possible mode if thesecond operational signal metric is within the second range;transmitting instructions to the remote device in the second operationalmode to transmit and receive in the third operational mode.

The receiving of the operational incoming signal, the determining of thesecond operational signal metric, the determining that the thirdoperational mode will be the first possible mode if the secondoperational signal metric is within the first range, the determiningthat the third operational mode will be the second mode if the secondoperational signal metric is within the second range, and thetransmitting the instructions to the remote device are periodicallyrepeated, the third operational mode from a previous iteration beingconsidered the second operational mode for new iteration.

The method may further include receiving an operational incoming signalfrom a remote device in the second operational mode after transmittingthe instructions to the remote device, the operational incoming signalincluding a request for assignment of a requested mode; determiningwhether the requested mode is an appropriate mode; setting a thirdoperational mode to be the requested mode if the requested mode isappropriate; setting the third operational mode to be an alternate modeif the requested mode is not appropriate; and transmitting instructionsto the remote device in the second operational mode to transmit andreceive in the third operational mode.

Another method for controlling operation of a wireless device isprovided. This method includes receiving an initial incoming signal froma remote device in a first operational mode, the initial incoming signalincludes a request for assignment of a requested mode; determiningwhether the requested mode is an appropriate mode; setting a secondoperational mode to be the requested mode if the requested mode isappropriate; setting the second operational mode to be an alternate modeif the requested mode is not appropriate; and transmitting instructionsto the remote device in the first operational mode to transmit andreceive in the second operational mode.

The determining of whether the requested mode is an appropriate mode maybe performed based on a signal metric of the initial incoming signal.

CONCLUSION

By dynamically switching modes in a mobile device, the system methodsdescribed above can effectively increase the gain on a reverse link ofthe mobile device, and can effectively increase the power to theantenna. In particular, in the LTE embodiment disclosed above, in whicha duplexer is dynamically switched in and out of operation, the systemand methods can provide a 1.5 dB gain on the reverse link and byproviding a 1.5 dB gain on the antenna. Furthermore, the mode switch canlengthen the battery life of a mobile device by minimizing theimplementation loss within the mobile device by 1.5 dB.

This disclosure is intended to explain how to fashion and use variousembodiments in accordance with the invention rather than to limit thetrue, intended, and fair scope and spirit thereof. The foregoingdescription is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the inventionto the precise form disclosed. Modifications or variations are possiblein light of the above teachings. The embodiment(s) was chosen anddescribed to provide the best illustration of the principles of theinvention and its practical application, and to enable one of ordinaryskill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments andwith various modifications as are suited to the particular usecontemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scopeof the invention as determined by the appended claims, as may be amendedduring the pendency of this application for patent, and all equivalentsthereof, when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which theyare fairly, legally, and equitably entitled. The various circuitsdescribed above can be implemented in discrete circuits or integratedcircuits, as desired by implementation.

1. A multiple-mode transceiver, comprising: an antenna switch configuredto selectively connect a first antenna switch node to one of a secondantenna switch node, a third antenna switch node, or a fourth antennaswitch node; a receiver switch configured to selectively connect a firstreceiver switch node to one of a second receiver switch node or a thirdreceiver switch node, the second receiver switch node being connected tothe third antenna switch node; a transmitter switch configured toselectively connect a first transmitter switch node to one of a secondtransmitter switch node or a third transmitter switch node, the secondtransmitter switch node being connected to the fourth antenna switchnode; a receiver module configured to receive and process incomingsignals and to generate a mode control signal based on the incomingsignals, the receiver module being connected to the first receiverswitch node; a transmitter module configured to generate outgoingsignals, the transmitter module being connected to first transmitterswitch node; a duplexer configured to simultaneously pass the incomingsignals and the outgoing signals, the duplexer having an antennatransmit/receive node connected to the second antenna switch node, adevice receiver node connected to the third receiver switch node, and adevice transmitter node connected to the third transmitter switch node;and a controller configured to generate, in response to the mode controlsignal, an antenna switch control signal to control operation of theantenna switch, a receiver switch control signal to control operation ofthe receiver switch, and a transmitter switch control signal to controloperation of the transmitter switch.
 2. The multiple-mode transceiver,as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a receiver amplifier; and aband pass filter connected in series with the receiver amplifier,wherein the receiver module is connected to the first receiver switchnode through the band pass filter and the receiver amplifier.
 3. Themultiple-mode transceiver, as recited in claim 1, further comprising atransmitter amplifier, wherein the transmitter module is connected tothe first transmitter switch node through a transmitter amplifier. 4.The multiple-mode transceiver, as recited in claim 1, wherein thetransceiver is implemented in an integrated circuit device.
 5. A methodfor controlling operation of a wireless device, including: transmittingan initial signal to a controller device in a first operational mode;receiving initial instructions from the controller device in the firstoperational mode, after transmitting the initial signal, the initialinstructions identifying a second operational mode; setting transmit andreceive circuitry in the wireless device to transmit and receiveaccording to the second operational mode; and transmitting operationalsignals in the second operational mode.
 6. The method for controllingthe operation of the wireless device, as recited in claim 5, wherein theinitial signal includes a request for assignment of a specific mode. 7.The method for controlling the operation of the wireless device, asrecited in claim 5, wherein the second operational mode is one of a fullduplex mode or a half-duplex mode.
 8. The method for controlling theoperation of the wireless device, as recited in claim 5, furtherincluding: determining whether the second operational mode is differentfrom the first operational mode, wherein the operation of settingtransmit and receive circuitry in the wireless device to transmit andreceive according to the second operational mode is only performed ifthe second operational mode is determined to be different than the firstoperational mode.
 9. The method for controlling the operation of thewireless device, as recited in claim 5, further including: receiving newinstructions from the controller device in the second operational mode,after transmitting the operational signals, the new instructionsidentifying a third operational mode; setting the transmit and receivecircuitry in the wireless device to transmit and receive according tothe third operational mode; and transmitting new signals in the thirdoperational mode.
 10. The method for controlling the operation of thewireless device, as recited in claim 5, wherein the receiving of newinstructions, setting of the transmit and the receive circuitry, and thetransmitting of the new signals are periodically repeated, the thirdoperational mode from a previous iteration being considered the secondoperational mode for new iteration.
 11. A method for controllingoperation of a wireless device, including: receiving an initial incomingsignal from a remote device in a first operational mode; determining afirst operational metric; determining that a second operational modewill be a first possible mode if the first operational metric is withina first range; determining that the second operational mode will be asecond possible mode if the first operational metric is within a secondrange; and transmitting instructions to the remote device in the firstoperational mode to transmit and receive in the second operational mode.12. The method for controlling the operation of the wireless device, asrecited in claim 11, wherein the first operational metric is a signalmetric of the initial incoming signal, and wherein the first operationalmetric is one of a signal-to-noise ratio of the initial signal,signal-to-interference ratio of the initial signal,signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the initial signal, andsignal power of the initial signal.
 13. The method for controlling theoperation of the wireless device, as recited in claim 11, wherein thefirst operational metric is a network metric indicating a networkcongestion level.
 14. The method for controlling the operation of thewireless device, as recited in claim 11, wherein the first possible modeis a full duplex mode and the second possible mode is a half-duplexmode.
 15. The method for controlling the operation of the wirelessdevice, as recited in claim 11, wherein the first operational mode isthe half-duplex mode.
 16. The method for controlling the operation ofthe wireless device, as recited in claim 11, further including:receiving an operational incoming signal from a remote device in thesecond operational mode after transmitting the instructions to theremote device; determining a second operational signal metric of theoperational incoming signal; determining that a third operational modewill be the first possible mode if the second operational signal metricis within the first range; determining that the third operational modewill be the second possible mode if the operational signal metric iswithin the second range; and transmitting instructions to the remotedevice in the second operational mode to transmit and receive in thethird operational mode.
 17. The method for controlling the operation ofthe wireless device, as recited in claim 16, wherein the receiving ofthe operational incoming signal, the determining of the secondoperational signal metric, the determining that the third operationalmode will be the first possible mode if the second operational signalmetric is within the first range, the determining that the thirdoperational mode will be the second possible mode if the secondoperational signal metric is within the second range, and thetransmitting the instructions to the remote device are periodicallyrepeated, the third operational mode from a previous iteration beingconsidered the second operational mode for new iteration.
 18. The methodfor controlling the operation of the wireless device, as recited inclaim 11, further including: receiving an operational incoming signalfrom a remote device in the second operational mode after transmittingthe instructions to the remote device, the operational incoming signalincluding a request for assignment of a requested mode; determiningwhether the requested mode is an appropriate mode; setting a thirdoperational mode to be the requested mode if the requested mode isappropriate; setting the third operational mode to be an alternate modeif the requested mode is not appropriate; and transmitting instructionsto the remote device in the second operational mode to transmit andreceive in the third operational mode.
 19. A method for controllingoperation of a wireless device, including: receiving an initial incomingsignal from a remote device in a first operational mode, the initialincoming signal includes a request for assignment of a requested mode;determining whether the requested mode is an appropriate mode; setting asecond operational mode to be the requested mode if the requested modeis appropriate; setting the second operational mode to be an alternatemode if the requested mode is not appropriate; and transmittinginstructions to the remote device in the first operational mode totransmit and receive in the second operational mode.
 20. The method forcontrolling the operation of the wireless device, as recited in claim19, wherein the determining of whether the requested mode is anappropriate mode is performed based on a signal metric of the initialincoming signal.